Review: Danny Burns' EP 'Hurricane' Offers Strong Guests and Stronger Songwriting

It's sometime says that you can tell a lot about someone by the company they keep. In the case of Irish-born roots musician Danny Burns, all it takes is listening to know he's a skilled artist and songwriter. But on his new 6 song EP Hurricane you also see how respected he is among his peers, he packs a who's who of roots music titans into a small package.

The album's highlight is a song you may have heard before. “Many Moons Ago” was released as a single in September and featured here. Featuring, in my opinion, one of the most consistently excellent roots musicians working today, Sarah Jarosz, “Many Moons Ago” highlights an almost forgotten historical connection between Ireland and the Indian First Nations, a bond between two peoples persecuted and relocated by white Europeans. The story is both haunting and beautiful, and the song tracks that well. Burns' arrangement leaves plenty of space for the darkness to seep in. Jarosz's harmony vocals provide the beauty and hope at the story's core.

“Mercenary Song” is a Steve Earle cover and is overseen by Earle himself, who takes a verse. Where Earle's original has a Townes Van Zandt feel, Burns' version sounds like it could have come directly from the guitar of Marty Robbins. It's not hard to see the song's men who sell their arms (and sometimes their lives) to the highest bidder existing alongside Texas Red and the unnamed narrator of “El Paso.”

While those are the album's two strongest tracks, all six songs stand on their own. “Trouble” (featuring Aubrie Sellers, Jerry Douglas, and Dan Tyminski) is a driving country rocker and an opener that sets pace for the rest of the EP. “Golden” is a smooth Americana number with Celtic flair, making great use of Sam Bush's mandolin skill. “Frontline,” Burns' only solo effort, has an autobiographical quality that benefits from the lack of other vocalists. Closing out the EP with another driver, Burns teams up with Tim O'Brien for “Hurricane,” an almost cinematic tune that more than lives up to its name.

Danny Burns is a relatively new name on the roots music scene, but one who is making large waves, as evidenced by the people who chose to lend their name to his work. Like an appetizer at a high-end restaurant, Hurricane is satisfying while leaving you hungry for what is (hopefully) the full meal to come.